Paper binding machine

ABSTRACT

A machine is provided for binding papers utilizing binding strips of the type wherein one strip has a series of studs with ratchet teeth thereon and a mating strip has a series of holes for engaging the ratchet teeth and a series of blocking elements for locking the teeth in place to provide a permanent binding. The device of the present invention cuts off any excess length of the studs after the binding operation and, in a preferred embodiment of the machine, includes a punching device for punching holes in a sheaf of paper prior to the binding operation.

D United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,879,783

Giulie 1 Apr. 29, 1975 PAPER BINDING MACHINE 3,596,929 8/l97l Abildgaard11/1 R x 7 75 Inventor: Joe D. Giulie, P1110 Alto, Calif. 3'699596 2[73] Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Primary Examiner-Lawrence CharlesManufacturing Company, Saint Attorney, Agent. or Firm-R0bert G. Slick;John C. Paul, Minn. Barnes [22] Filed: Feb. 11, I974 [21] Appl. No.:441,378 [57] ABSTRACT A machine is provided for binding papers utilizingbinding strips of the type wherein one strip has a series [52] US. Cl.11/1 R; I Hi MB of studs with ratchet teeth thereon and a mating strip[5 i] ll!- Cl. B426 19/00 has a Series of holes f g gi g the ratchetteeth d [58] held or Search l m I 1 402/60 a series of blocking elementsfor locking the teeth in 402/6'1 69; 40/120 place to provide a permanentbinding. The device of the present invention cuts off any excess lengthof the [56] References cued studs after the binding operation and. in apreferred UNITED STAT S PATENTS embodiment of the machine, includes apunching de- 1.e52.724 12/1927 McBcc ll/l MB i for pun hing holes in asheaf of paper prior to the 3.|22.76l 3/l964 Bouvicr ll/l AC bindingoperation. 3,l25.887 3/l964 Bouvier et al l H] AC 3.340.635 9/l967Mclntosh 40 120 10 Claims, 15 Drawlnfl 'B' PAPER BINDING MACHINE SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a machine forinserting binding elements in a sheaf of paper or the like wherein thebinding elements are of the kind described and claimed in my copendingpatent application Ser. No. 388,246 filed Aug. 13, I973. According tosaid patent application, a binding system is provided utilizing a pairof backing elements or spines, one of which has a series of studsextending therefrom and the other of which has a series of mating holes.The studs have ratchet teeth thereon while the holes in the oppositespine have a single ratchet tooth and a locking block. When the twospines are pressed together, the teeth on each of the studs successivelyengages a mating tooth on each of the holes until the spines are fullycompressed toward each other, at which time the block is moved in placebehind the studs on the ratchet to lock the two elements together. Anyexcess stud length is then cut or trimmed off.

Although the operation of pressing the spines together. locking theblocks in place, and cutting off the excess spine length could be doneby hand, it is convenient to provide a machine for performing theseoperations.

In a preferred embodiment of the machine a punch is also provided sothat a single machine suffices to punch holes in a sheaf of papers forthe studs and then to assemble and hold the sheaf in a finished binding.

The inventor is aware that others have provided machines for bindingbooks and the like but generally speaking they have involved theapplication of heat and have required a large amount of power foroperation.

The device of the present invention is a simple desk top machine whichoccupies little space and which is relatively simple and inexpensive tofabricate.

The device of the present invention does not involve the use of heat inany manner so that it is always ready for instant action.

Although the device of the present invention could be motor driven, itis easy to operate so that normally a motor is not required.

According to the present invention, a preferred embodiment of thedevices includes a mechanism whereby pressure can be exerted on onlypart of the spine at a time, greatly reducing the effort needed tooperate the machine.

Very little skill is necessary to operate the device of the presentinvention nor is it necessary that the user be particularly strong.

Various additional features and advantages of the invention will bebrought out in the balance of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofamachine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a series of partial views A through E showing the sequence ofoperations conducted by the machine of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the machine shown in FIG. 1, partly in section.

FIG. 4 is a partial view, similar to FIG. 3, showing the compression ofa material being bound.

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial view in section of the pressing mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a partial view showing the cut off action of the machine.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the machine, partly in section.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial view of the cut off mechanism.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view of the cut off mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a section on the line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawingsby reference characters and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the device ofthe present invention includes a frame generally designated 12 havingtwo platens, namely, a lower platen l4 and an upper platen 16 mountedthereon. A handle I8 extends from one side of the machine which actuatesthe paper punching and binding mechanisms. A second handle 20 extendsfrom the opposite side of the machine which is used to actuate the studcut-off mechanIsm.

The device of the present invention is designed to be used with thebinding elements which are fully described in my copending applicationabove identified. The binding elements will not be described in detailbut in general, they include an upper binding element generallydesignated 17 and a lower binding element generally designated 19; theseare sometimes referred to as backing members. The upper binding elementI7 includes a back or spine 25 having a plurality of studs 27 extendingtherefrom, each having a plurality of ratchet teeth 29 thereon andhaving a tapered, sharpened end 31. The lower binding element 19 has aback or spine having a series of apertures 39, each of which has a tooth41 adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth 29. A block 43 is providedwhich is adapted to be wedged into hole 39 to hold one of the ratchetteeth 29 into contact with a ratchet tooth 41 in the opening. The blocks43 form a series of protrusions on the lower binding element; each ofsaid protrusions is located adjacent to one of the apertures 39.

The overall operation of the binding operation can now be understood byreference to FIGS. 1 and 2. A punched sheaf of papers 22 is first placedon the lower platen 14 with one edge against the guide 24 and with theback portion extending into slot 26 where it overlies a series of diehole 28 and is under a series of punches 30. As it will be laterdescribed in detail, the punches 30 are brought down by the actuation oflever 18, perforating the paper as is shown at 30A.

A lower binding element 19 is now placed at the rear of platen l6 and anupper binding element 17 is placed on the sheaf of papers with the studsextending through the holes in the paper and the assembly is placed onthe platen 16 with the studs extending down into the lower bindingelement 19 and between the fingers 32 at the back of the platen. Thestack of paper is placed against guide 24A at the side of the platen andagainst stop 35 at the rear of the platen. As is later explained indetail, at this point the lower binding strip 19 will be supported onlyon the fingers 32 and the locking blocks 43 are not in contact with thetable. Lever 18 is now actuated by pulling it towards the user, whichcauses bar 34 to descend, squeezing the two binding strips together. Aspressure is increased, the locking blocks 43, by

means later described, will be pushed into place, lock ing the ratchetteeth on stud 27 with the mating tooth on the backing member 19. Withthe parts then locked in place. lever is actuated by pulling it forward,cutting off the surplus ends of the studs and leaving the finished boundpapers.

For a more detailed description of the exact structure of the machine,reference is made to FIGS. 3 through 11. Mounted rigidly near the backof the machine is a shelf-like projection 36 having a series ofprojections 38, each of which has a square hole 40 therein, corresponding roughly in size to the cross section of a stud 27. Projections38 mesh between fingers 32 as is best seen in FIG. 8. Platen 16 supportsthe series of fingers 32. The spacing of the fingers 32 is such when thebacking strip 19 is placed thereover, it will be supported on thefingers 32 at spaced intervals between the holes 41 and will not come incontact with the blocks 43. A rear stop 35 is provided to line up thesheaf of papers with the rest of the binding mechanism. Platen 16 isbiased upwardly by a spring 42 so that there is sufficient verticalclearance between fingers 32 and projections 38 so that no pressure willbe brought on the blocks 43 when ram 34 first descends. As the ram 34descends, the sheaf of papers is first compressed and the backingmembers 17 and I9 seated firmly together as is shown in FIG. 2C. Now asa ram 34 continues to descend as is shown in FIG. 2D, the resistance ofspring 42 is overcome, allowing platen 16 to move downwardly, so thatthe platen l6 bottoms out on the plane of the tabs 38 and pressure isnow brought on blocks 43, forcing them up into locking position as isshown in FIG. 2D. As the binding elements are now locked together, lever20 is moved forward, causing a knife blade 44 to cut off the excesslength of stud 27 as is shown at FIG. 2E. The binding operation is nowcomplete and the bound volume can be removed and the operation repeated.

Having now described the general operation of the machine. certainspecific parts contributing to the operation will be described indetail.

Ram 34 which is actuated by the movement of lever 18 is mounted ondownwardly extending arms 46 which are pivoted to racks 48. located oneach side of the machine by means of pins 50. Arms 52 extend down wardlybeyond the pivot point 50 and springs 54 mounted on each of the armstend to pull the bottom of arms 52 forward so that in its upperposition, the ram element 34 is pulled backwardly and away from platen16 to facilitate loading the machine as is shown in FIG. 3. A roller 56extends across the machine and the arms 48 are cut out at 58, permittingthe ram element 34 to extend more to the rear in its uppermost position.

Handle 18 is mounted on a shaft 59 which carries pinions 60 and 62 whichengage the rack 48. When the arm 18 is in its uppermost position, racks48 are substantially at the top of their path and the ram element 34 ispulled to the rear by means of spring 54 as described. Now as the arm ispulled forward, the racks move downwardly pulling the arms 46, causingthe ram 34 to move forward out of the openings 58 and down to press thebinding elements together.

First, of course, the binding elements fully engage and compress thesheaf of papers and as pressure arm 18 is continued, the resistance ofspring 42 is overcome and the blocks move into place, locking theassembly together. Arm 18 is now released since the papers are fullycompressed and locked together.

Arm 20 is now pulled forwardly to actuate the cut off mechanism. Arm 20is mounted on shaft 64 which carries two pins 66 and 67 which passthrough holes in the knife back 68. Back 68 is mounted to slide on aplate 70 mounted on the frame of the machine. The knife back 68 carriesa plurality of wedge shaped knives 44 which correspond in placement andnumber to the projections 38 and pass between the fingers 32. Thus, ashandle 20 is pulled forwardly, the blades 44 slide along the projections38 and between the fingers 32, cutting off the portions of the studs 27which extend beyond backing member 19. This operation can best beunderstood by reference to FIGS. 2E and FIG. 7. The binding and cuttingoperation is now complete and the bound sheaf ofpapers can be removedfrom the machine.

In a preferred embodiment of the machine, the ram element generallydesignated 34 is made double acting so that only a portion of the sheafof papers is compressed at one time whereby the machine is made morecompact and less effort is needed to pull the lever l8 forward,compressing and locking the sheaf of papers. To accomplish this, the ram34 has a central cut away portion between the shoulders 72 and 74,leaving an open central portion. A secondary ram 76 is mounted in thisopening and is held on springs 78. The secondary ram 76 has a lip 80extending along its bottom which can engage a shoulder 82 or can slidealong a ramp 84, both of which are located on a bar 86 which is attachedto arms 46 and which holds the main ram element 34. With the parts inthe position shown in FIG. 4, if the ram 34 is brought down by action ofthe handle 18, the secondary ram 76 will ride along the ramp 84 and willbe pushed outwardly so that no pressure will be brought near the centerof the sheaf of papers and that the entire pressure of the ram will beexerted at the ends. This action is best seen in FIG. 5. Now, after theends are compressed, handle 18 is returned to its retracted position andthe user pushes in and holds the secondary ram 76 as is shown in FIG. 6.Now the bottom lip 80 engages the shoulder 84 and as the handle 18 isagain brought forward, pressure is brought on the center of the sheafofpapers. Thus, by compressing and locking in two separate stages, lesseffort on the part of the user is required. Of course, this secondaryram can be eliminated, or can be locked under the shoulder 82, so thatthe entire compressing and locking operation is conducted with a singlemovement of the lever 18, which is particularly advantageous in asimpler machine or when one is binding a relatively thin sheaf ofpapers.

As was stated earlier, the machine of the present invention preferablyembraces a punching device so that the entire operation of punching andbinding can be conducted in a single machine. The punching mechanismwhich is used to actuate the punches 30 can best be understood byreference to FIGS. 3 and 4. A shaft 86 carries an eccentric 88 mountedover plate 96. Shaft 86 has a sprocket 90 mounted thereon while a matingsprocket 92 is mounted on shaft 58. A roller chain 94 connects the twosprockets. The plate 96 extends over the punches and carries a series ofclips 98 which are hooked under heads [00 on punches 30. An upper plate102 is held to plate 96 by means of rods 104 and serves in conjunctionwith clips 98 to retract the punches. Thus, as handle 18 is movedforward, it not only actuates the compressing and locking mechanismpreviously described. but also actuates the punches. One could conduct apunching operation on one sheaf of papers on platen 14 while the bindingoperation is conducted on platen 16. However, in most instances. onlyone operation would be conducted at a time so that the sheaf of paperswould first be punched on platen l4 and finally bound on platen 16 aspreviously described.

Although certain specific details of the machine and its method ofoperation have been set forth. it will be obvious to those skilled inthe art that many variations can be made on the exact structure shownwithout departing from the spirit of this invention. For instance. themachine could easily be adapted for power operation. Separate actuatinglevers can be used for the binding and punching operations.

I claim:

I. A machine for assembling a perforated sheaf of papers into a boundvolume wherein the binding element utilized consists of a first backingmember having a series of studs thereon. each stud having ratchet teethand a second backing member having a series of mating holes with atleast one ratchet tooth in each of said holes positioned to mate with atooth on a stud inserted therein and with a blocking member for lockinga ratchet tooth on each of the studs to a ratchet tooth in a hole.comprising in combination:

a. means for supporting said second backing member while leaving saidblocking means free of said supporting means.

b. means for corresponding said backing members together with the studspassing through the perforated sheaf of papers and into the holeswhereby the ratchet teeth engage and hold the sheaf of papers in boundrelationship.

c. means for moving said blocking means into place to lock said ratchetstogether. and

d. means for cutting off an excess length of said studs extending beyondsaid second backing means.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said blocking means includeprotrusions on the second backing strip located adjacent to each of saidholes and the support means (a) comprises a series of fingers extendingbetween said protrusions.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein a platen biased upwardly is providedfor receiving a sheaf of papers. said platen having a series of fingersextending therefrom to support the second backing member between saidprotrusions. said machine having a fixed member under said fingerswhereby pressure on said platen with the extending fingers will overcomethe bias, bringing the protrusions into contact with said fixed members.forcing said protrusions into said holes.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein said platen with said extendingfingers is biased upwardly.

5. The machine of claim I having a shaft passing through the machinewith pinions thereon. and a ram is provided with mating rack teeth,whereby turning said shaft causes said ram to descend into contact withsaid backing members to compress the same.

6. The machine of claim 5 wherein said ram is divided into twotransverse sections having interconnected release means whereby one ofsaid sections can be released so that actuation of said shaft causesonly one of said two sections to move into compressive relationship tosaid backing members and can be engaged whereby both sections move intocompressive relationship to said backing members.

7. The machine of claim 3 having a second platen with punch meansthereon for perforating a sheaf of paper.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein a single shaft actuates thecompression means and the punch means.

9. The machine of claim 1 wherein the cut off means comprises a platehaving a plurality of cutting knives extending therefrom. and having ahandle to move said knives into and out of cutting relationship.

10. The machine of claim 7 having two extending handles. namely a firsthandle to actuate the compression means and the punch means. and asecond handle for actuating the cut off means.

1. A machine for assembling a perforated sheaf of papers into a boundvolume wherein the binding element utilized consists of a first backingmember having a series of studs thereon, each stud having ratchet teethand a second backing member having a series of mating holes with atleast one ratchet tooth in each of said holes positioned to mate with atooth on a stud inserted therein and with a blocking member for lockinga ratchet tooth on each of the studs to a ratchet tooth in a hole,comprising in combination: a. means for supporting said second backingmember while leaving said blocking means free of said supportIng means,b. means for corresponding said backing members together with the studspassing through the perforated sheaf of papers and into the holeswhereby the ratchet teeth engage and hold the sheaf of papers in boundrelationship, c. means for moving said blocking means into place to locksaid ratchets together, and d. means for cutting off an excess length ofsaid studs extending beyond said second backing means.
 2. The machine ofclaim 1 wherein said blocking means include protrusions on the secondbacking strip located adjacent to each of said holes and the supportmeans (a) comprises a series of fingers extending between saidprotrusions.
 3. The machine of claim 2 wherein a platen biased upwardlyis provided for receiving a sheaf of papers, said platen having a seriesof fingers extending therefrom to support the second backing memberbetween said protrusions, said machine having a fixed member under saidfingers whereby pressure on said platen with the extending fingers willovercome the bias, bringing the protrusions into contact with said fixedmembers, forcing said protrusions into said holes.
 4. The machine ofclaim 3 wherein said platen with said extending fingers is biasedupwardly.
 5. The machine of claim 1 having a shaft passing through themachine with pinions thereon, and a ram is provided with mating rackteeth, whereby turning said shaft causes said ram to descend intocontact with said backing members to compress the same.
 6. The machineof claim 5 wherein said ram is divided into two transverse sectionshaving interconnected release means whereby one of said sections can bereleased so that actuation of said shaft causes only one of said twosections to move into compressive relationship to said backing membersand can be engaged whereby both sections move into compressiverelationship to said backing members.
 7. The machine of claim 3 having asecond platen with punch means thereon for perforating a sheaf of paper.8. The machine of claim 7 wherein a single shaft actuates thecompression means and the punch means.
 9. The machine of claim 1 whereinthe cut off means comprises a plate having a plurality of cutting knivesextending therefrom, and having a handle to move said knives into andout of cutting relationship.
 10. The machine of claim 7 having twoextending handles, namely a first handle to actuate the compressionmeans and the punch means, and a second handle for actuating the cut offmeans.